Italian Word of the Day: Turista (tourist)

Tourism is one of Italy’s most profitable industrial sectors, with an estimated 47.7 million turisti (tourists, singular turista) visiting the country every year. That makes it the fifth most visited country in the world! An interesting fact about the word turista is that unlike many Italian words, it derives not from Latin but rather from …

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Italian Word of the Day: Fresco (fresh / cool)

Important: Are you interested in knowing how to translate the English slang term cool into Italian? Then head on over to our dedicated article where we talk about the five different ways of translating this word! The word for cool or chilly in Italian, in the literal sense of a low temperature, is fresco. Because …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cielo (sky)

The most literal meaning of the Italian word cielo (masculine, plural: cieli) in English is sky. There are various ways of describing the sky in Italian depending on the atmospheric conditions and the time of day: Il cielo è coperto di nuvole oggi. The sky is filled with clouds today. A common expression in Italian …

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Italian Word of the Day: Maledizione (curse)

Italian word for 'curse'

The word for curse in Italian is maledizione (feminine, plural: maledizioni). It is composed of two parts: male (meaning bad or evil) and dizione (meaning diction or speech). Related to the noun is the verb maledire (lit: to say bad) which means to curse or to damn. Another more complex way of saying the same …

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Italian Word of the Day: Caldo (hot / warm)

The word caldo can refer to anything that is hot or warm, be it the temperature, weather, food or clothing. Because it is an adjective, the ending changes depending on whether the subject is masculine, feminine, and/or plural. La minestra è ancora calda, ti servo un altro piatto? The soup is still hot, do you …

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Italian Word of the Day: Letto (bed)

The word for bed in Italian is letto (masculine, plural: letti). It derives from the Latin lectus of the same meaning. Amongst the different kinds of beds in existence, some popular options include the letto singolo (single bed), letto matrimoniale / letto doppio (double bed), divano letto (sofa bed) and my all-time favourite as a …

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